Tears of Raven

12

The light was barely enough but she recognized the two flaming emerald eyes staring down at her by the small fire dancing across the room.

She inhaled a large breath, ready to scream but his palm was over her mouth too fast for her to even try a small squeak.

He was still wearing his uniform, the scarlet and gold were bright in the night, but not as flaming as his eyes.

"Araxys!"

Her head jerked to balcony where the dragon's had laid down to rest right on the lava rocks but she found him staring at them with narrow golden eyes. He already knew. Why wasn't him eating the prince?

"Because he's not squeezing to kill you, just to gain my attention."

Now that she noticed, his grip was barely there and she could breathe almost perfectly.

"Now you will listen to me because I will offer you a deal and you will not refuse me."

"And why would I listen to you-" but it came all muffled by the hand on her mouth.

"You made a huge mess refusing to marry me. I had to listen for almost two hours my father teaching me ways to win your heart so that once you'd be my wife, I could pay you back every single subordination you ever did to me and cast you away stealing your dragon. So, if you don't want for that to happen, you will listen to me or I swear I'll kill you right here."

"You are welcome to try, Shadow Prince. I can still torch you without hurting her."

"You will never hurt me. You need me for the prophecy or you wouldn't be here bounding with the most unhinged woman on this entire planet."

Araxys fell silent, the only thing raven could spot were his yellow eyes and the small hint of light coming from his agape mouth.

"Now, princess." The mocking tone with which he said princess made Raven bare her teeth. "you think your dragon will keep you safe? But he can't be with you every single moment of the day. There will be time where he will not be able to follow you for different reasons that I don't have the time to list."

"I can fend for myself." She mumbles

"No, you can't. This is not your beloved forest, animals are predictable, they act on instinct or if they are scared. This court will kill you if you do not play by the rules. If they understand that you have no intention of helping and instead you wish to wipe the royal family out completely, they will poison your food, hired assassins and haunt you down until you are dead, killing the only hope this kingdom has to finally get out of the swamp my too many great-great fucking grandfather has shove us in. I can give you protection, in exchange, tomorrow first thing in the morning, you will get my dearest mama and papa off my back telling them you reconsidered the marriage. We don't have to get right to it, but at least we will have time to find a way around it and break the curse before there will even be the need for you to link yourself to the kingdom you so much hate and most important to me."

Too continent.

"I suggest you take that hand off my hatchling face, or we're going to have a problem."

The prince lingered a little moment, warning Raven not to scream and he jumped off the canopy bed crossing his arms to the chest.

"If I agree to this, you get everything you want. What do I get?" Raven decided she was more comfortable standing, she could react better than to simply sit on the mattress, vulnerable.

"You get to live."

"I got that under control, Shadow Prick, thank you very much."

Raven's eyes linked with the prince but he was not staring at her. he was looking at something, past Raven. She turned but there was nothing there.

"What do you want?" he sighted pinching his nose as if he was talking to an unreasonable toddler.

Raven thought about it. there was one thing she craved more than any other on this earth but she couldn't ask to be relieved by this burden, Araxys had chosen her and she didn't feel like letting him down. So she simply asked for the second thing she wanted most.

"Abolish slavery. No more red marks on people's necks, no more whipping for not obeying. Return people's free will to them and I will accommodate your request."

The prince didn't seem as offended as Raven would have liked. She was ready to fight him but he simply nodded.
"Done, I will speak to my family and by tomorrow it would be as you ask."

"This easy?"

Rave felt as if she had missed a huge opportunity. She surely could have asked so much more, but there wasn't much she needed, after all.

"I have a few ground rules."

Oh, there was the trick.

"No humiliating me in front of the royals, no sneaking around with other men." He eyed Raven sideways. "Or animals, if that is what you-"

Raven grabbed the brush on her nightstand and toss it to the prince's face, missing him barely.

"I don't know what you like."

She almost yelled but remembered that if they caught him here, there could be consequences and the last things she needed was to be lecture about virtue and stuff.

"Anything else?" she inquired and he opened his mouth but the raised brow on Raven's face caused him to simply shut up again.

"No, that would be all for now. Just act believable and we should be fine."

"Believable? Like I fancy you? Oh, that's going to be tough since I actively hate you."

"Hate is a very strong emotion I can work with."

Raven felt the wind move behind her and she knew he was there, studying her.

"I'm okay as long as you do not interfere with my personal space and I don't have to be intimate with you."

The prince had begun to circle her before stopping only a few steps from Raven's chill body. She was wearing what she thought was a dress for the night. it was sheerer than most of the fabric she had seen in the throne room and also less heavy.

"That should not be a problem." And yet, his finger very carefully reached for one of her straps and dragged it back up on her shoulder without touching any piece of skin getting in contact. "Just be safe and do not trust anyone because if you do, you'll die."

"That includes you, I imagine."

"Oh, mostly."

The grin that he gave Raven, made her ice to the core. He had never looked that scary to her like this moment and she understood also why. Because he knew something she didn't and that made her afraid because in places like this, knowledge was power.

As the door shut behind him, Raven turned to Araxys.

"I would have appreciated a hand on your part. Maybe a little flame to scare him."

"He doesn't scare easy."

"Why did you get him that close to me? You don't let anyone that near."

"I have my reasons, hatchling. Now sleep, tomorrow will be a long day."

Raven was crawling back to bed when the realization hit her.

"Did you let him in because you knew what he wanted to ask me?"

The click of Araxys tongue was the only answer she received.